Reform's Zia Yusuf: Widdecombe killing ‘an assault on democracy itself’

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Zia Yusuf told a press conference that Reform UK will provide around-the-clock protection to MPs if his party wins the next General Election, as well as continuing to support former politicians "still active in public life".

His comments follow the death of Miss Widdecombe, who was serving as Reform's immigration and justice spokesperson, which is being investigated by counter-terror police.

The 78-year-old former MP and MEP was found dead at her home in Haytor on Dartmoor, Devon, on Thursday.

Read more: Ann Widdecombe police probe left-wing extremist motive and whether suspect was planning attacks on other politicians

Read more: Ann Widdecombe was the victim of a 'targeted attack' as suspect is held for another seven days over her 'murder'

A 28-year-old white British man arrested in South Yorkshire on Saturday remains in custody.

He is being held on suspicion of commission, preparation, or instigation of acts of terrorism, as well as on suspicion of murder.

Mr Yusuf said: "Britain has been devastated by the news of another of our beloved politicians brutally murdered. After Sir David Amess and Jo Cox, now Ann Widdecombe has been savagely killed in her home.

"All three died without any protection. This is unacceptable for a country with a £1.2tn annual budget.

"An attack on a politician is an assault on democracy itself. Ann was without doubt one of this country’s most formidable and courageous politicians. She inspired me and countless others."

Detectives confirmed Miss Widdecombe’s death was a “targeted attack”, and said whether the suspect in the alleged murder was targeting Reform UK figures will be a “line of investigation”.

The police investigation is also probing whether left-wing extremism or other political motives were behind the killing, it has been reported.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood told the House of Commons on Monday that the suspect was not known to the Government anti-extremism scheme Prevent.

Mr Yusuf added: "I can tell you about the climate in which she was killed, a relentless narrative from politicians and the media that Reform UK is a threat, a threat to be urgently stopped.

"A narrative so relentless it constitutes incitement. And why are we targeted like this? Because we say things that are unfashionable among many in Westminster but are popular in the country at large."

Reform has faced criticism in the wake of Miss Widdecombe's death for weaponising her death after its leader, Mr Farage, claimed it had been a "premeditated" attack, before police officers had revealed that it was investigating it as such.

Tory grandee Sir Iain Duncan Smith told LBC that he didn't doubt Farage's "genuine sense of loss" but added that it "doesn't, however, licence everybody to go off and try and make a concept of why it happened and how it happened."

Mr Yusuf told the press conference that in light of Miss Widdecombe's death, enquiries into Mr Farage's need for private security needed to stop and Reform should not be compared to "murderous regimes" as this is creating "an environment of such hostility".

"The fact is this," he said, "many politicians and members of the media are effectively stopping the function of democracy by creating an environment of such hostility for Reform and making it unpalatably dangerous to air perfectly reasonable views.

"That needs to end. Those who question Nigel Farage’s need for security should stop.

"Politicians from other parties are perfectly entitled to disagree with our policies and criticise them. They are, of course, free to criticise us.

"But they must stop equating us to murderous regimes that butchered tens of millions of people and committed some of the greatest horrors in history.

"We (Reform UK) are targeted because we say things that are unfashionable in Westminster but we are popular with the public."

Soon-to-be Prime Minister Andy Burnham announced on Tuesday evening that there needs to be "a serious review" of MP security following Miss Widdecombe's death.

Senior figures in Reform have complained about the level of security their party and Mr Farage have been offered.

Ms Mahmood has offered the party leader a meeting with the chairman of the Royal and VIP Executive Committee (Ravec), the body responsible for the security of high-profile figures.

Mr Yusuf added that Mr Farage lives "under the ever-present threat of mortal danger" and has received more than 1,500 threats since February.

He said: "The most persistent individual targeting Nigel sent six directed threats to him on Facebook between June 24 and July 6, including a message telling him to ‘get the f out of Wales before I kill Nigel Farage, you could die at any given moment’.

"Social media is awash with threats to kill Nigel.

"Such threats have been ever-present for years, yet astonishingly last autumn, just days after the assassination of Charlie Kirk, the authorities took the decision to cut the size of Nigel’s security detail by 75 per cent."